


One Night Only

by celedan



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternative Meeting, Anal Sex, Consensual Underage Sex, First Time, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M, Oral Sex, Rimming, Teenage Ianto, Virgin Ianto, janto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-08-07 07:30:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7705897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celedan/pseuds/celedan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coming back from a night of partying, Jack comes upon a young man struggling with another, and saves him from the unwanted attention. Because he starts to care for the lost looking teenager, who was so desperate that he thought he had to prostitute himself to have the money for a train ticket out of Cardiff to leave his old life behind, he treats him to a late night dinner and gets to know Ianto a bit better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Night Only

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in 1999, where the age of consent was still 18 years in GB. Only in 2000 did they lower it to 16, so technically, Jack commits a crime sleeping with Ianto. I tried to bring it up in the story, but somehow it never fit. Therefore I ended up not really mentioning the graver side of Jack's actions. So, without wanting to downplay these laws or their importance, I think Jack simply doesn't care about them, because he comes from a future in which different rules apply regarding sexuality.

**August, 18** **th** **1999**

Just short of whistling Jack strolled down the slowly deserting street. Life was good at the moment, especially tonight, because he just returned from a delightful evening of partying with and then shagging one hell of an attractive bloke.

He was on his way back to the hub, taking a shortcut through a few darker alleys, when he heard a commotion nearby.

At first curious, he changed directions, but when he heard the panicked “no, let me go!” in a painfully young voice, he broke out into a run.

He followed the voices into a dark, seedy side alley. An older, heavily weighed man struggled with a youth, who couldn't have been older that fifteen or sixteen, grabbing his arm, and trying to drag him to his car, which was parked at the other end of the alley.

“Hey!” Jack shouted in his most commanding voice.

The two struggling men stopped abruptly, blinking his way in surprise and confusion.

“I get the impression, he doesn't like your attentions, so fuck off.”

The youth looked at him pleadingly, terror shining in his big blue eyes, and the man looked Jack up and down in an appreciative way, checking him out, before he snarled, “This is none of your business.”

“Oh, I think, it is,” Jack countered calmly, and folded his arms before his chest, widening his stance in an authoritative, intimidating manner. 

“He's just a whore,” the man spat. 

“Doesn't matter. If he doesn't want you, you should accept a no.”

“That's not what he said ten minutes ago,” the man argued. 

“I changed my mind,” the youth spoke up for the first time, a stubborn, unbroken look in his eyes despite his panic, which had now noticeably diminished after Jack had arrived.

Jack took a threatening step forwards. The man suddenly looked unsure, but still held fast to the youth. “I will only tell you one more time: Let him go, and be on your way.”

Feeling threatened, the man now haughtily raised his chin. “You don't get to tell me what to do,” he sneered. “You're not the police.”

Jack shrugged his shoulders, keeping calm, and putting his hands in his trouser pockets. “Not the police, no.”

The man nodded satisfied, but froze at Jack's “but...”.

Jack looked up at the man, a roguish gleam in his eyes. “Police is boring. Too many rules, you know. And all those laws to abide to... naah, that's not my style.”

Taking the bait, the man asked, “What are you then?”

Jack shrugged again, and grinned dangerously. “Let's just say, I'm not bound to those pesky laws in my job specification.”

“You... you're bluffing,” the man stated, but the tremble in his voice belied his self-confidence.

Jack threw him a challenging gaze. “Do you wanna find out?”

Not wanting to risk anything just for a quick fuck with which he would have had only trouble anyway, the man let go of the youth and hurried back to his car.

For a few moments there was silence in the alley, the sudden screeching of the tires as the man drove away the only sound.

The youth rubbed his arm, not meeting Jack's eyes who regarded the young man calmly in return.

“Thanks,” the young man mumbled, still looking at the ground.

“You're welcome.”

Flashing blue eyes were suddenly aimed at Jack. “I would have been fine. Had ev'rything under control.”

“I'm sure of it,” Jack replied calmly, not fazed by the attempt at feigned confidence. “But I just couldn't walk by, could I.”

“Suppose not,” the youth grudgingly admitted. 

“Come on,” Jack changed the topic. “This is no place for conversation.” He turned around, and made his way back to the main street, the youth following him gingerly, not sure what would be expected of him now, and if he shouldn't just bolt the other way.

But, although he didn't know why, he followed the other man. At least he looked fantastic. Could be worse. Almost had been worse.

“He's right, you know,” he told his saviour and hurried to catch up with him.

Jack stopped at the end of the alley and looked at his companion. “Hm?”

“I am a whore.”

Jack scrutinised him for a moment, before he replied firmly, “No, you're not.” 

The young man wanted to oppose him, suddenly stubborn, but Jack cut him off with a knowing gaze. “I bet you've never even kissed someone.” Seeing the youth blush heavily all of a sudden albeit involuntarily, he knew he was right. The blush suited him. He was cute, and would still be in ten year's time although he would become gorgeous, too. His maturing body was lean, a little too skinny, which Jack frowned upon suspiciously, even despite the slightly chubby face. 

“Let's have something to eat,” he therefore suggested suddenly. Initially, he'd just wanted to drop the youth of somewhere safe (home in this case being probably not safe if the youth was either forced to prostitute himself, or felt obligated to), but all of a sudden, he couldn't do it. He wanted to help this desperate young man if he could. The least he could do was to fatten him up a bit. “There's nothing better than comfort food after a shitty day. Or night.”

The youth hesitated, suddenly suspicious, but Jack threw him his most winning smile. “Come on. I'm pretty hungry myself, and I know a nice little diner American style a few streets away. My treat.”

This finally won the youth over (after all, no adolescent would pass up on free food), and he nodded, falling in stride with Jack. 

“I'm Jack, by the way.”

The young man shyly looked at him from the corner of his eye. “Ianto.” 

Jack turned his head to look at him directly, smiling brilliantly at him. “Pleased to meet you, Ianto.”

Ianto kept silent, blushing again.

 

The walk to the little diner didn't take long, and, stepping in, they were the only patrons this time of the night. Jack greeted the waitress with a charming smile, before they took a table at the farthest end of the room.

For a while they studied the menus in front of them in total silence. 

After they'd given the waitress their orders, Jack leaned forward in his seat a little and scrutinised Ianto with a curious look.

“So, tell me, Ianto. What happened to you that you saw no other way out than to prostitute yourself?” 

Granted, it wasn't the most delicate approach, but he wanted to help the youth, and for that he had to talk and get answers.

“You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to,” he amended hastily, but he really hoped he would confide in Jack.

Ianto frowned and chewed on his lower lip. Jack was right, he didn't want to talk about it, but he felt that he owed him at least this much for saving him.

“My father,” he choked out finally, not meeting Jack's eyes. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “He always had a temper, and drank far too much, but since my mum died a few years ago, it got worse. I just wanted the money to get out of there.”

“By selling your body!?” Jack hissed in disbelief, mindful of the waitress at the other end of the diner. 

Ianto shrugged again, seemingly indifferent. “I tried to steal from him once. Let's just say I don't dare try it again. And they caught me when I tried to nick a few things in the mall. Da' was not pleased.” Ianto shuddered, his heavy Welsh accent getting stronger in the end, which Jack found completely endearing despite the circumstances. Impulsively, he put his hand over Ianto's and squeezed tenderly. Under his gentle touch, the clenched fingers relaxed slightly. 

Ianto startled and looked at Jack's hand on his with wide eyes, but he didn't withdraw his own hand. Swallowing heavily, he forced himself to continue, Jack's touch anchoring and comforting him somehow, “I thought...” He averted his gaze, his eyes suddenly shining wetly. “I thought, just the once. It couldn't have been so bad, not as bad as it had to be for a woman, and the money would have been enough for a ticket to London, and to get by a few days. But... I couldn't... I was so afraid.” 

Jack put his other hand on Ianto's, cradling them gently. “I'm glad you didn't follow through.”

Surprised, Ianto looked at him again. “You are?”

Jack nodded gravely. “Your body is a gift, and you shouldn't throw it away. You should give yourself to someone deserving. Someone who cares deeply about you.”

Ianto snorted bitterly. “The poor bastard who deserves me...”

“Don't talk like that!” Jack snapped, horrified, which made Ianto flinch. Soothingly, he continued, “Don't debase yourself. I see so much potential in you.”

“Liar,” Ianto accused him, albeit kindly. “You don't know me.”

“But I'm a good judge of character.” 

Ianto shrugged, clearly not believing him. “If you say so.”

Frustrated, Jack chewed on his bottom lip, and decided to change the topic. “Do you have somewhere you can go?”

Ianto shrugged his shoulders again. “I have an older sister who lives with her boyfriend. But our relationship is... strained.” 

“Maybe, but nonetheless, she wouldn't want her little brother doing this to himself,” Jack argued heatedly.

“No, but...” Ianto sighed. “I don't know. She and our da' always saw me as a failure. I've always been too weak, too bookish, not much of a sportsman... I never fit in, not in this environment. My mum was like that, too. But it's more accepted in a woman. Nobody wants a weak-kneed son.”

Jack chuckled gravely. “If I believe anything, but not that you are weak. Maybe you don't have it in you to be a warrior or a natural leader, but there's fire in you. I've seen it back in that alley. You were afraid, yes, but also too stubborn to back down.”

Ianto didn't reply anything to that and instead blushed heavily.

A heavy if not completely uncomfortable silence fell between them, but as the waitress brought their food a few minutes later, they were both relieved. 

They ate their burgers and fries mostly silent, too, and only when both of them had a cup of coffee before them after their late-night dinner, they dared to shyly resume conversation. 

Ianto didn't really know why he told this stranger about his fucked-up life so willingly. But somehow, he trusted him, and not only because he'd saved him. There was something about him... his smile, his overpowering, heavenly smell, the somehow charming American accent. And of course his looks. It was something Ianto'd ever thought he would notice in another man. He wasn't gay, he'd just been prepared to sleep with one to make his life a better one. 

In retrospect, Jack was right, it had been a mistake, a stupid mistake, and a dangerous one, but that's a far cry from saying that he was somehow special in any way. He was not. He was just a naive, stupid kid from a bad neighbourhood in Cardiff, no matter what Jack seemed to think.

So completely occupied with woolgathering, he almost didn't hear Jack's next question.

“How old are you, anyway?” 

“Sixteen,” he prompted, before taking a quick glance at the clock high on the wall above the door leading to the toilets. “In thirty-two minutes that is.”

He cringed inwardly. Jack really had to think him a stupid child now, but the other man just looked at him in a contemplative way for a moment, before simply revisiting their conversation.

 

Five minutes to midnight, Jack eyed his watch furtively. “Do you want more coffee?”

Ianto looked up at him, startled, and studied him contemplatively for a moment before he nodded quietly.

Jack threw him a quick smile, and stood up. “Be right back.”

He felt Ianto's gaze on him as he walked up to the waitress and spoke to her in a hushed tone before he made his way to the loos.

When he came back, he saw from the corner of his eye that Ianto was nursing another cup of coffee, and in the meantime, the waitress had placed Jack's second order just out of view from the youth sitting at the other end of the diner. He nodded a thanks to her, smiling brightly which made her blush prettily, before he swept up the plate and lighter she'd provided him with.

“Happy Birthday!” he said festively as he placed the plate with a piece of chocolate cake in front of Ianto with great flourish. 

Ianto blinked up at him, his mouth opening and closing a few times, but Jack just lit the single candle stuck in the rich, sticky chocolate frosting on top, and sat back down.

“I,” stammered Ianto and blinked some more, alternately looking at Jack and the cake before him. In the end he whispered an overwhelmed, shy “thank you”, which Jack found totally endearing.

“You've got to blow out the candle and make a wish,” Jack advised finally, when Ianto still sat there completely immobile.

The young man scrunched up his cute nose. “I'm not a child, wishes don't come true,” he answered, and his tone of voice held too much bitterness in it for a human as young as Ianto was.

Jack didn't like it one bit. That's why he plastered on one of his charming, carefree grins. “I beg to differ, my friend.”

Ianto shrugged his shoulders and nervously picked up his fork. He didn't want to start an argument and ruin the perfect evening, so he dutifully blew out the candle and stared at it afterwards, the smell of smoke mixed with chocolate invading his nostrils. “Maybe when I'm as old as you, I can start to believe in wishes becoming true again,” he whispered more to himself than Jack and actually sounded a little wistful.

Jack laughed and threw him a mock pout, but Ianto caught a flicker of something sad in Jack's face and immediately regretted his off-hand comment.

Afraid that in the end he'd still managed to ruin the mood, Ianto hastily shoved a piece of cake in his mouth unless he made another stupid comment. His worries were forgotten at once when the taste of dark chocolate hit his tastebuds. Involuntarily, he moaned.

“Wow,” Jack chuckled, raising an eyebrow in a suggestive manner. “Didn't know the cake round here was that good.” 

“Do you...” Ianto trailed off, and before he knew what he was doing, he presented Jack with his fork and a bit of cake.

Jack didn't waste time or thought, and instead leaned forward to let Ianto gently feed him the cake.

Ianto blushed involuntarily as he watched Jack's sensual lips close around the fork, and a shudder went through him hearing Jack's own moan which sounded completely indecent and inappropriate considering their surroundings. His own accidental moan earlier couldn't have sounded as filthy, could it?!

Mortified on his own behalf, he finished his cake in silence, all the while feeling Jack's amused, smouldering gaze resting on him.

 

They talked some more after that, completely forgetting the time and only emerging back into the real world when the waitress apologetically asked them to leave a few minutes to one in the night.

A little dazed to be back in harsh reality, Ianto followed Jack out of the diner. For a few minutes, they strolled aimlessly down the street, both of them a little insecure, Jack with his hands inside his greatcoat, and Ianto shivering in the frosty August air.

When Jack noticed his shivers, he instinctively put an arm around Ianto's shoulder and drew him against his warm body. And much to his own surprise, Ianto allowed it. Feeling oddly secure, he snuggled into Jack's embrace, praying foolishly that this night would never end.

Jack's voice, startlingly loud in the quiet around them, squashed that wishful thinking. “I should take you to your sister's.”

Taking a shaky breath, Ianto tried to stall the inevitable. “I don't think she would be too keen on being woken up in the middle of the night. Her boyfriend even less so.”

He saw Jack furrowing his brow from the corner of his eye. “Yeah. You're probably right.” He stopped, and looked at Ianto contemplatively. “But I can't take you back to mine.”

Ianto's hope fell as this was just the thing that had crossed his mind.

Jack shrugged apologetically. “It's complicated.” He must have seen Ianto's suspicious gaze, because he hastened to amend, “It's not what you think. I'm not in a relationship or anything.” He shrugged his shoulders again. “My living conditions just don't really allow for guests. I'm kinda staying at my work place, and that's... let's just say, it's out of bounds for pretty much anyone.”

Ianto didn't really understand what Jack was telling him. It sounded as if the other man worked for a secret organisation or something, and he remembered the threats against the man in the alley earlier in the night, but although intrigued, he didn't have the right to ask. He didn't even know if the other man was telling him the truth, or if he just didn't want to take Ianto home with him. He was a stranger after all.

“That's okay,” he finally reassured the other man. “I'll get by.”

Jack frowned again. “You can't really think I'll leave you in the streets over the night.” He looked inquisitively at him. “Do you trust me?”

Without hesitating, Ianto replied with a firm “yes”.

Jack threw him a bright smile and grabbed his hand firmly.  “Then come on.”

 

To Ianto's surprise, the hotel they checked in was pretty stylish and up-scale by Ianto's standards, not looking like any of the seedier hotels where the staff wouldn't ask questions when a grown man showed up with a youth in tow, booking a room for just one night. He hadn't really imagined that Jack would spend such an amount of money on a nobody he'd just met. If Ianto didn't know better, this was the kind of behaviour a higher class patron would exhibit to impress his companion, but which couldn't belie the sober fact that it was all just for paid sex (even for the bored and tired looking man at the reception it had to look like they were only here for sex, because they didn't even have any luggage – and by the way, why the hell could they book a room in the middle of the night that easily? What had Jack told the man to bring him to cooperate while Ianto had waited uneasily across the lobby?!). But, although he assessed Jack to be a person who wouldn't say no to sex, he felt safe in this hotel room alone with a stranger (one-bed room, he noticed, the only that was free on such short notice). He just knew that Jack hadn't brought him here only to be the one to take what the man in the alley had wanted to take by force. Ianto didn't really know the other man, but even he could tell that Jack was no one who had to beg, or pay for sex. He didn't have to force his partner, because they would come to him willingly. Even Ianto couldn't escape from Jack's charms, and he wasn't even interested in men under normal circumstances – him selling his body to men  _ not _ being his normal preferences, but just being easier to find someone willing to pay him, and maybe the notion that he could brush off the encounter as not being his real first time. If his first time with a woman had been about money, it would have defiled the experience and every single relationship he would have in the future. He was just too private a person as that he could look at sex as something carefree, unlike Jack, he supposed. Jack was different in every aspect from every person he had ever met. He couldn't precisely tell why, but somehow, normal rules didn't apply to Jack...

“You should sleep.” Jack's voice echoing through the otherwise quiet room made Ianto jump in surprise, and he turned towards the older man who smiled at him encouragingly and pointed at the bed. “It's been a long night.” 

“Where will you...” Ianto stopped, as he watched Jack shedding his heavy coat and settling in one of the cosy looking armchairs. 

“I'm fine,” Jack assured him. 

Uncertainly, Ianto stared at him, feeling lost. He couldn't allow for Jack to sleep in that chair, especially as he was the one paying for the room! 

“No,” he finally said, his voice sounding firmer than he felt – inside he was trembling with nervousness, and he didn't even know why. “Please, the bed's big enough. We can share.”

Jack shook his head. “Really, it's all right.”

Now Ianto was the one to shake his head. “I insist,” he declared stubbornly.

Amusement showed on Jack's face, and he laughed softly, relenting finally. “In that case, I have to bow before higher authorities.”

Ianto smiled dryly, pulling up one eyebrow. “Stop being a smart-ass, and get into the bed.” And with that he shed his own outer jacket, followed more slowly, unsure, by the rest of his clothes, until he was in just his boxer shorts and T-shirt. Without risking another glance at Jack, he slipped between the sheets quickly, his back to the other man. After the rustling of clothes being shed faded away, the mattress dipped behind him and the blanket lifted slightly, letting cool air in against his back as Jack climbed into bed as well. 

For a few painfully long moments, they just laid side by side in the relative darkness, the only light coming from the street lamps outside, and the only noises being their steady breaths (apart from the deafening rush of blood in Ianto's ears by courtesy of his nervousness).

In the end, Ianto built up all of his courage and turned around to face Jack. The other man lay on his back, arms folded behind his head, seeming completely at ease. He met Ianto's gaze with a smile as the youth turned to him, but otherwise didn't take much notice of him, probably to reassure him or something. But that wasn't what Ianto wanted. He'd made up his mind, and now he would stick to it.

His fingers trembled nonetheless as he slowly crept them towards Jack. He laid them on Jack's muscled chest and began stroking him cautiously. 

Surprised, Jack tensed and looked at him, before he reached for Ianto's hand, halting the motion firmly, but gently with his own fingers. “You don't have to do that, Ianto,” he said sternly. “I don't expect any payment.”

Ianto swallowed heavily and nodded, sitting up slightly, and bracing himself on his elbow to hover over Jack. “But I want to,” he replied, determined. “And it's not to repay you, or even to say thank you. I want you... unless.”

Suddenly unsure and feeling foolish for assuming Jack might be interested in an inexperienced, scrawny teenager, he withdrew his hand as if being burned. But abruptly, Jack tightened his grip, and pulled him forwards so that he was laying half sprawled over Jack's chest, their faces only separated by a hairsbreadth. “Yes,” Jack declared firmly, and just as firmly holding Ianto's gaze. “But only if you're sure. Don't do this out of some misguided attempt at hero worship or something.”

For a moment, Ianto became angry, and he scowled at Jack. “I'm young, but I know, what I want. Don't judge me by my stupid behaviour earlier. I learned my lesson. And although I'll always be grateful for what you did for me tonight, this is not about that.” He purposely leaned a little heavier on Jack, putting his left leg over his hip, almost sliding between Jack's thighs, so the other man could feel his awakening erection. “You said it's a gift I should only give to someone who cares. And I think you care, Jack, or am I wrong.”

It wasn't a question, but a statement. 

Jack swallowed heavily, being turned on by the sudden streak of dominance Ianto was displaying despite his inexperience and youth. He shouldn't do this. He really shouldn't. Yes, he cared about the boy, but he really was just a boy (especially in regard to Jack), and in spite of what Ianto may tell him, Jack still believed that the boy was confusing hero worship with desire. But – aside from the fact that he was rapidly losing his resolve – if he denied him now, he would break his heart. In the long run, this may be for the best, Ianto really should save this moment for someone he loved, but Jack had learned a long time ago only to live in the here and now. Everything else, brooding too much about the future – about whom of his current friends and family he may lose in just a short span of years – would only lead to heartbreak, too. And if nothing else, regardless if he was worthy to receive the gift Ianto was giving him, he would make sure that the young man would enjoy this night so that he would never have to be wary, or afraid of sex because of a crappy first time (or a forced first time, Jack's mind provided very helpfully, presenting him with images, what could have happened to Ianto had Jack not been there). Sometimes, a first time with somebody who knew what they were doing was better than fumbling his way through with an equally inexperienced partner so that, worst case, someone got hurt in the end. 

So, finally, he nodded and replied softly, “Yes, I care about you.” And before he would stand Ianto's pleading gaze for one more second, knowing it would win him over regardless, he raised his head slightly to bridge the few inches still separating them, lovingly pressing his lips against Ianto's in a, for now, chaste kiss.

Ianto trembled above him, his breath hitching, and he clutched the fabric of Jack's T-shirt to anchor himself. Jack grabbed his upper arms to pull him over his body all the way without breaking the kiss, enjoying Ianto's weight pressing him into the mattress. He remembered that this was Ianto's first kiss, so he gently wound his arms around Ianto's neck, cocked his head, and deepened the kiss tenderly. He brushed his tongue against Ianto's lips, begging for entry, and with a shaky breath, the young man opened his mouth, allowing Jack's tongue to slip inside. He moaned feverishly as Jack's tongue gently coaxed his own to play with it, and, a little clumsy, he did his best to comply.

The taste of chocolate cake and coffee hit his tastebuds, and suddenly Jack knew that from this moment on, the taste of coffee would always remind him of Ianto. The flavour had never been as divine and addictive as tasting it inside of Ianto's mouth. 

Jack was happy to note that Ianto was an eager pupil, so for the next twenty minutes he set on teaching the young man the finer art of kissing.

Although his rock hard cock pressed against Jack's own, spreading dampness against the front of his boxers, Ianto had remarkable self-restrain. Most other youths would have come already over the course of the long minutes they'd spent only kissing intensively. Ironically, it was Jack who became impatient in the end, and so he slipped his hands under the waistband of Ianto's boxers, cupping his cheeks firmly, and ground his hips up into Ianto's. They both moaned breathlessly as their cocks pressed against each other, and Jack shoved the hindering underwear as far down Ianto's legs as he could manage in this position – which wasn't far. Letting loose a series of frustrated sounds, Jack suddenly rolled them around. Triumphantly, he dragged the boxer shorts from Ianto's legs all the way, letting them fall over the edge of the bed, and leaned over Ianto's groin, deeply inhaling the intoxicating musky smell of the youth. With a thrill of anticipation, Jack bend down and swallowed Ianto's cock in one go, causing the young man to cry out in ecstatic shock. 

Involuntarily, Ianto's hands flew to Jack's head, gripping his hair tightly in reflex, but Jack only moaned at the sweet pain, the sound vibrating around Ianto's cock, making him impossibly harder. He'd never felt anything like it, his own hands touching himself never comparing to the hot, wet suction of Jack's mouth, swallowing him down, so that his erection snugly nestled deep in the other man's throat. Already on overload just from all the kissing, he felt his orgasm crashing down on him, but suddenly something occurred to him, something with which his potential costumers probably wouldn't have bothered either, but he never wanted to be like one of these men. 

They'd just recently learned about it in school...

“W-wait,” Ianto therefore panted heavily, stopping Jack with a tug on his hair. The other man let him slip from his mouth, so that Ianto wanted to sob in frustration, and looked up at him questioningly. “What's with safer sex?” He swallowed nervously. “We... we learned about it in school. You shouldn't...”

Jack nodded, inwardly cringing as Ianto mentioned school, because that only made him realise again how young the man in his bed was, but nonetheless, he winked at him reassuringly, hiding his own concerns behind a carefree grin. “With other people, you'd have a point. But with me, it's all right. Good body defences. Don't think too much, just enjoy.” He winked at him again, before bending down, and once more engulfing him in his mouth. 

After that, Ianto only lasted an embarrassingly short amount of time. He tried to warn Jack, calling out his name and tugging on his hair, but the older man just stepped up his efforts. With a breathless cry, Ianto suddenly exploded down Jack's throat, sobbing and whining when the other man swallowed everything, the continued swallowing motions making his over-sensitive cock feel like ants crawling all over his skin, so that he just wanted to shy away from it, but at the same time only wanted to bury himself deeper in Jack's mouth. 

Finally, Jack let Ianto's spent cock slip from his mouth, and he crawled up his body again to take the trembling, overwhelmed youth in his arms. 

“You all right?” Jack asked after a while, still cradling Ianto in his arms.

“Yeah,” the young man sighed dreamily, still slightly out of breath. “Thank you,” he whispered, burying his face in the crook of Jack's neck.

Jack smiled lovingly. “You're welcome.”

“What about you?” Ianto asked suddenly, anxiously sitting up and staring down at Jack.

“I'm fine,” he reassured with a smile, and stroked Ianto's cheek softly. 

Ianto bit his lip contemplatively, and flicked shy glances down in the direction of Jack's sheet covered groin, suddenly feeling self conscious that Jack was still dressed in his T-shirt and underwear, and Ianto was naked from the waist down. Feeling silly, he quickly got rid of his T-shirt, paradoxically feeling better completely naked instead of being semi-dressed. “No, I...” He averted his gaze. “I want to...” He looked up again. “Please.”

Jack held his gaze for a long moment, before he nodded his consent. Relaxed, he spread out his arms to the side, presenting himself. “I'm all yours.”

Ianto returned Jack's encouraging, charming smile nervously, but nonetheless shuffled closer on his knees, and grabbed the hem of Jack's T-shirt, pulling it over the other man's head, and discarding it over the side of the bed like his own. He swallowed heavily seeing the smooth, sculpted chest of his... his lover. Tentatively, he reached out, and touched Jack's pectorals, shivering at the feel of the perfect, hairless skin over sleek muscles under his fingertips. He brushed over one brown nipple, eliciting a sharp gasp from Jack as he watched in fascination how hard the little nub became under his touch in mere seconds. Shivering, he touched the other nipple, and bend down to take the previous one into his mouth. 

Jack let him explore to his heart's content, never guiding him, only encouraging and praising him, so, when Ianto abandoned Jack's nipples after a thorough exploration, and slid his hands and lips lower the toned upper body, Jack didn't stop him. Swiftly, before he lost his nerves, he tugged Jack's boxers down, sliding them over his long legs. Then he focussed his gaze again on Jack's body, appreciating the view, and then he finally reached Jack's cock, he gulped at the sight of the huge erect penis, but he nonetheless couldn't hold himself back. He needed to touch it. Slowly, he touched his fingers to the head, swirling them through the bead of precome welling out of the slit, then curled his hand around the shaft, and began to stroke slowly, but firmly up and down. Jack breathed in with a shudder, but still didn't move a muscle as he let Ianto explore him. He cried out however, as Ianto suddenly bend down, and impulsively took the head into his mouth, tasting him while continuing to stroke him with growing confidence. 

Ianto softly sucked on the head, not daring to take the enormous cock deeper and embarrass himself. But only having the head in his mouth, feeling the hot engorged flesh heavy on his tongue, tasting the salty flavour mixed with the iron tint of the blood rushed skin, and hearing Jack's little pants all because of Ianto's inexperienced ministrations made him feel giddy with power. The feel of his fingers barely reaching around the girth of Jack's cock suddenly aroused in him the uncontrollable need to feel Jack inside of him. 

“Jack,” he panted, letting the rock hard cock slip from his mouth, but never stopping his light stroking.

Jack blinked down at him, seeming a little dazed which send a surge of pride through Ianto. “Hm?” 

“I...” He licked his suddenly dry lips nervously. “I want you to take me.”

Jack blinked some more while processing Ianto's request, and then he sat up, a serious expression on his face. “Ianto, you...”

“Please!” Ianto interrupted him, not above begging this time. He couldn't explain it, he just knew he  _ had _ to feel Jack inside of him. He needed it more than breathing in this moment. 

Jack looked at him for a long time, Ianto holding his contemplative gaze unflinching, belying the nervousness he felt inside.

Finally, Jack nodded and sat up. He grabbed for his wallet lying on the night stand, and pulled out a condom and a small packet of lube. 

Licking his even dryer lips in anticipation, Ianto kneeled across from him in the rumpled sheets, and watched the older man. Despite his nervousness, he rapidly started to become hard again, and he had to forcibly stop himself from closing his hand around his cock, and bring himself off to the enticing sight the other man's naked, perfect body presented to him. 

Jack smiled reassuringly at him, placing the items he'd just retrieved on the pillow next to him. “Come here.”

Without hesitation, Ianto moved into Jack's arms for another intense round of kissing, tasting themselves in each other's mouths. Straddling Jack's lap, he slowly relaxed under Jack's hands, which wandered all over his body in firm, expert strokes and under the ministrations of his lips, which were familiar to Ianto already. He hadn't noticed how tense he'd become, but now he became like warm butter in Jack's arms. Therefore, he didn't protest as the other man lay him back down and manoeuvred him onto his front although he would have preferred to look at Jack's face when he finally took him. But before he could feel regret, Jack draped his body over Ianto's back, his erection nestling between his buttocks snugly, while Jack started to focus on Ianto's neck and shoulders with his lips, surely leaving a passion mark for all to see in the morning. From there, he slowly worked his way down Ianto's back, nipping and licking at his sweat salty skin, making him moan. 

Jack lapped up the sweat pooling in the small of his back, and before Ianto could really comprehend what was happening, Jack pulled his cheeks apart, delved lower, and suddenly licked over his hole.

“Oh my god!” Ianto cried out, completely shocked. 

“Knew you'd like that,” Jack grinned, nipping lightly at Ianto's left buttock, before he put his tongue to work again. 

All sensible speech left Ianto, leaving nothing but moans and sobs coming out of his mouth as Jack licked at his opening, and finally, finally, pushed the tip of his tongue through the ring of muscle. 

Ianto sobbed breathlessly at the indescribable sensations of Jack's tongue fucking him wetly, the feeling of the slick muscle sliding in and out of him setting his nerves on fire. This was even better than Jack giving him a blowjob.

When he, after an embarrassingly short time, felt his orgasm approaching again, Jack stopped. He simply stopped!

“No!” he whined in frustration, wriggling his hips suggestively for Jack to continue his ministrations. But the older man simply laughed, and kissed him playfully on one buttock. In his nearly delirious state, Ianto heard the ripping of plastic, and a few seconds later, Jack's lube slicked fingers touched his opening, massaging the guarding ring. He tensed momentarily out of instinct, but Jack soothed him with murmured nonsense and gentle caresses over his back and sides. Carefully, the older man pushed one finger into Ianto, and then stopped, giving him time to adjust to the intrusive feeling. The gentle pressure felt good somehow, and pretty weird when Jack started to move the finger inside of him.

“Okay?” he asked in a low voice.

“Feels strange,” Ianto admitted. 

“We'll take our time,” Jack reassured him. “Bear down, then it's a little easier.”

Jack was right, the sliding motions of the well lubricated finger became less of a nuisance, and soon he urged Jack on to take a second finger. The older man complied, making Ianto gulp in a strangled gasp, as he returned with two fingers. Now it became uncomfortable, and Ianto suddenly asked himself how the hell Jack's impressive erection would fit inside of him. But before he could seriously start to regret asking Jack to fuck him, Jack's fingers brushed over something deep inside of him, sending sparks of pleasure through his whole body. He cried out in shock, followed by a loud moan. Jack chuckled behind him. “Gottcha.” And for the next few minutes, he set about driving Ianto crazy with need, every few strokes hitting that frighteningly pleasurable spot inside of him.

Once again, he felt his climax starting to crash down on him, but like the last time, Jack simply stopped, gently pulling his fingers from Ianto's passage. 

“Why did you stop!” he demanded in a whining voice, but his breath hitched as Jack suddenly leant over him, his voice directly at Ianto's ear, his warm breath hitting his sweat-slicked skin, making him shudder blissfully. “I thought,” he breathed seductively into Ianto's ear, “that maybe you want to take this a step further now.”

A frisson of fear raced through Ianto's body involuntarily at the notion, immediately drowned out by an overpowering feeling of need and anticipation. “O-okay,” he breathed shakily, taking courage. “Then get on with it.”

Jack laughed good-natured at his false bravado. “Yes, Sir. Turn around.”

Surprised, Ianto turned on his back and looked up questioningly at Jack, who knelt between his spread thighs. He had thought that Jack would take him from behind. Wasn't that how gays had sex? 

Jack seemed to realise his line of thought, because he explained, “I want to see your face when you come. Although it would be easier on your hands and knees, it's too impersonal for a first time. This should be about caring and all around feeling good.” 

Ianto swallowed, suddenly overcome with deep affection and a strong feeling of gratitude for this man. 

As Jack grabbed for the condom, ripping the foil packet with his teeth, Ianto swallowed for a completely different reason. Fascinated and with bated breath, he watched as Jack rolled the thin latex over his cock. He suddenly itched to touch him, but Ianto kept his trembling hands to himself, forcing himself to be content with simply watching the breathtaking vision above him, taking in Jack's head thrown back in ecstasy as he handled his erection, his eyes closed, and his strong throat muscles working as he swallowed heavily. Taking in his sculpted upper body covered in a thin sheen of sweat, giving his skin the impression of polished marble in the semi-darkness. And finally sliding his gaze down to Jack's massive cock, now sheathed with the condom. He stroked himself a few times, making Ianto desperately want to put his own hand over Jack's to assist him. 

But then Jack opened his eyes, meeting Ianto's wide gaze firmly and reassuringly. He slicked his cock with the last of the lube, and then crawled over Ianto, giving the impression of a sleek cat stalking its prey. He hovered above him on hands and knees, his body not touching Ianto's yet, as he bend down to capture his lips in a sensual kiss. Without breaking the kiss, he began to lower himself onto Ianto, and the young man moaned into the kiss upon feeling the soothing weight of Jack's body covering him, instinctively bringing his knees up to trap Jack between his legs, pressing them firmly in Jack's sides. 

Involuntarily, Ianto startled again as he suddenly felt the blunt head of Jack's cock pressing against his opening. He drew a shaky breath through his nose, but never broke the kiss, and instead wrapped his legs around Jack's waist and pulled. 

The head breached him slowly, and at first it wasn't really so bad. But when Jack pushed the rest of his shaft inside him, going slowly millimetre for millimetre, the sensations began to change. The stretch and burn was much more pronounced than with just Jack's fingers, now bordering on painful, but Jack again gave him plenty of time to adjust, all the while soothing him with toe-curling kisses and gentle strokes of his hands on Ianto's face which almost broke him inside for their caring gentleness.

He felt so full, his muscles almost stretched to the limit. The sensations were still strange, all of his nerves screaming in rapidly fading pain and gradually increasing pleasure, but on the other hand, he somehow felt powerful looking up into Jack's face full of ecstasy, knowing that the other man felt this pleasure because of Ianto. 

“Please,” he sobbed suddenly, not really knowing what he was begging for. But Jack seemed to know, because he carefully drew back until only the head of his cock remained in Ianto, before he slowly, but firmly pushed inside again, setting a steady rhythm.

All Ianto could do from then on was hold on for dear life, encouraging Jack unconsciously through the needy little moans he made in between his desperate attempts at gulping for his next breath. With almost every thrust, Jack expertly hit Ianto's prostate, making the young man cry out in ecstasy when he did.

All too soon, his body one overstimulated mass, Ianto felt his climax drawing near. He dug his fingers into Jack's shoulders, gulping in heaving breaths. “Jack!” he whimpered, “I... I'm close.”

“It's all right,” Jack crooned, suddenly grasping Ianto's cock and stroking him with just the right amount of pressure, “I've got you. Just let go.” And with a final well-aimed thrust, hitting Ianto's prostate directly, together with him stroking Ianto's cock, Jack vaulted him into orgasm. Ianto froze for a second, arching his back, and then he let out a deep-throated, drawn out moan as he spilled over his stomach and Jack's fingers. 

He fell back into the pillows, hanging weakly in Jack's arms as the other man chased his own orgasm, continuing to thrust deeply inside the young man, who started to whimper when all the nerve endings in his body started to protest in over-stimulation. But suddenly, thrusting one last time, Jack stiffened above him, and came with a shudder, still buried deep inside Ianto.

Ianto moaned weakly as he felt the other man's cock expand inside his over-sensitive body, and suddenly warmth filled him, only the thin latex of the condom preventing Jack's come from spilling inside of him. He winced as Jack carefully withdrew from his body, and let himself fall next to Ianto, for the moment just lying there to catch his breath. 

Slowly, Ianto's own breath evened out, his heart returning to a normal rate, and he felt fatigue descend on him, Jack's warm body next to him a soothing presence.

Drowsily, he heard Jack getting out of bed sometime, and returning a few seconds later with a wet cloth. He shivered and tried to shy away from the wetness as Jack lovingly cleaned the traces of lube and semen from his stomach and buttocks, but then Jack slid into the bed again, pressing his warm body against Ianto's and drawing him in his arms. 

Ianto relaxed back into Jack's embrace, sighing contentedly, and rapidly felt sleep creeping up on him. 

“All right?” Jack asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

Ianto smiled happily. “Yes,” he sighed again.

“Okay. Then sleep now,” Jack whispered behind him, and pressed a feather-light kiss on his neck.

Ianto complied and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

 

Ianto blinked, for a moment unsure of where he was as murky light shone in his face, the angle all wrong for it to be his bedroom. But then everything came back to him – his escape plans, his even stupider attempt at securing money for this escape, making him blush heavily in light of his carelessness, and... and Jack. Being saved by the other man, being treated to a late night dinner, and then... Ianto blushed again, this time out of completely different reasons.

As if on cue, he became aware of the warm, naked body pressed against his back. He stiffened for a moment, and didn't turn around yet, but then he relaxed in Jack's arms and just enjoyed being held securely a moment longer, revelling in the memories of the things he'd done with Jack last night. 

But not much later, his brain had woken up, too, making him wonder what would happen now. Concern flooding him as he asked himself if Jack didn't have to go to work, not wanting him to get in trouble because of Ianto. And furthermore, would he ever see the other man again? That thought filled him with dread, and suddenly his breathing quickened.

“Easy,” murmured Jack all of a sudden in Ianto's ear, tightening his arms around him reassuringly. He must have been awake for a while, Ianto realised. 

“I'm okay,” he lied, and tried to relax back into Jack's embrace, knowing deep inside that he didn't have a choice but to let Jack go, and therefore he should enjoy every minute he had left with him.

 

They stayed in bed a while longer so in turn Ianto could pretend a little longer, but at some point, Jack extracted himself from their embrace and slipped out of bed. “Come on,” he said in a friendly, but nonetheless matter-of-fact sounding voice. “Let's have breakfast and then I'll take you to your sister's.”

“Okay,” Ianto choked out, managing to let his voice sound normal. Only when he heard the door to the bathroom close and the shower start did he allow the tears to fall, and he buried his nose into the pillow, trying to memorise Jack's scent.

 

During breakfast, he didn't allow himself to display the maudlin, depressed mood he was in, because his time with Jack was limited, and he really wanted to enjoy his last minutes with Jack. Furthermore, he didn't want to give the other man the impression that Ianto would get all sappy and clingy on him because of one night. That's how it worked. It was a one-night-stand, albeit a fantastic one, the best night of Ianto's life. Jack had his own life, and surely there was no space in it for a kid he'd picked up off the street. And Ianto wouldn't ask. When Jack said no inevitably, he didn't want to be remembered by the other man as the stupid kid who'd become too attached. 

Therefore, he shoved all of these thoughts into the darkest corner of his mind, and forced himself to focus all of his attention on Jack. 

After having breakfast in the hotel, Jack accompanied Ianto across the city to his sister's flat. Fetching his car and driving them would have been faster, but somehow Jack found himself reluctant to part company with Ianto just yet. 

Their walk was either filled with amiable silence, or mindless chattering until they finally stopped before a block of flats on the outskirts of Splott. There they fell into an uneasy silence, both of them unwilling to leave each other, but unable to find a good enough reason for prolonging their acquaintance.

“You'll be all right?” Jack finally asked into the silence, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his leather jacket, wishing for his greatcoat which he'd left at the hub before he went out yesterday – god, was it only yesterday that he'd met Ianto?! It seemed longer to him. 

Ianto nodded, nervous as well. “Yeah. I'll stay at my sister's for a while. I think she'll be okay with that.”

Jack nodded emphatically. “That's good. Like I said in the diner, you should go back to school before you leave for London. Don't spoil your future because of a rash decision.”

Ianto returned his nod, burying his hands in his trouser pockets, and not meeting Jack's eyes. “I know that know. I've really acted pretty rashly when I ran away yesterday, but...”

He looked up when he felt Jack's hand on his shoulder, squeezing encouragingly. Jack smiled at him. “I know. But you're sixteen now, and nobody can force you to stay with your father.” He still didn't know what exactly had happened between Ianto and his father that made Ianto want to leave so desperately, but he didn't have to. He'd lived long enough to know how it could be between abusive parents and their neglected children. 

“Here.” Jack dug around in his wallet, pulling out a stack of pound notes, and offering them to Ianto. “It's not that much, maybe a hundred, but I want you to take it. For emergency.”

A refusal was already at Ianto's lips, but Jack looked at him beseechingly, so finally, Ianto relented, accepting the money from Jack. 

“Do you need anything else?” Jack asked, but Ianto shook his head.

“I can...”

“No,” Ianto interrupted him firmly, making Jack blink in hurt surprise. Therefore, he continued more gently, taking Jack's hands in his, “You've already done so much for me. First of all, you've given me hope and confidence in myself. Now I have to prove to you and also myself that I can manage my life from here on without your help.” He wanted to make Jack proud of him. Even if he never saw the other man again, he wanted to live with the nice vision that Jack somewhere sometime thought back on the lost youth he'd saved and maybe could spare a few fond thoughts filled with pride for him. 

Jack smiled in understanding. “All right, I respect that. But at least let me help you to get a foothold in London.” He scribbled something on a slip of paper. “Here. A friend of mine. He can help you point out a few things, get a grasp on ev'rything. Tell him Jack sends you.” 

At first reluctantly, Ianto accepted the note in the end, too, his pragmatic side winning over his pride. He smiled at Jack while tucking the note into his pocket together with the money. “Thank you.” 

Jack returned the smile, and he desperately wanted to kiss Ianto one last time, but he didn't dare to. Not here, not in the middle of the street in Splott. He himself couldn't care less, but Ianto had to live here, and his life was complicated enough without being seen kissing another man. 

But, although Ianto had similar thoughts, he couldn't let Jack leave with only a simple goodbye. Therefore, not caring who saw them, he stepped up to Jack and pressed his lips against the other man's, deepening it for a moment, which made both of them moan, before he drew back again. 

Jack blinked at him in surprise, so Ianto only smiled at him and said, cupping his cheek softly, “Goodbye, Jack.” 

“Goodbye, Ianto,” he whispered as soon as he'd recovered himself, and he watched Ianto cross the street and disappear in one of the buildings.

Wistfully, he stared at the entrance through which Ianto had disappeared before he pulled himself together and headed the other way, back to the hub, back to his live with Torchwood.

 

**July 2007**

Jack's mood got darker with every minute he strolled aimlessly through the ruins of Torchwood One. His team had spread throughout the building, especially the vast archives, to salvage what they could before UNIT arrived. Like hell he would leave the alien tech to them. A lot of the things stored here were too dangerous to let them fall into the greedy hands of the hazardous child UNIT was. The Doctor would never forgive him. Especially not after what happened with the Sycorax. It hadn't been Torchwood Three but One who'd killed the retreating aliens, but now, if he wanted it or not, with Torchwood One destroyed, they were Torchwood Headquarters, and he was now the director of the whole institute. He had to make it better. For the Doctor, and for the sake of all of them. Not just for humankind, but for all the other races, peaceful races, throughout the universe. Because that had always been the problem with Torchwood and UNIT. They thought, starting with the Doctor, that every alien was a threat, and therefore had to be wiped out. Both institutions shot first and asked questions later, and to his horror he'd realised that he, over the long course of years being with Torchwood, started to behave the same way sometimes. Often enough, he didn't have a chance, but other times it were just peaceful individuals, lost and scared, or just passing through who only needed help. Torchwood and UNIT never took the time to ask, to understand, only seeing the threat, but at the same time greedily salvaging the technology out of the grasp of the still warm extremities of the alien they'd just killed. If it's alien it's ours indeed.

It had to stop. And because of his experience with the Doctor, nobody was better suited to at least lead Torchwood, if not UNIT, into better times. He would make the Doctor proud... and Rose, honouring the sacrifice she'd made in the ruins of Canary Wharf.

He felt tears prickling his eyes, only having seen Rose's name on the preliminary list of causalities a few hours ago. Maybe he would find her in the ruins, alive, but his horror of finding her lifeless body was greater than his hope. And if she'd been converted, he'd never know. The Doctor went away, alone, nobody had seen him leave with his companion, so Jack couldn't even ask him about Rose's fate. He had to wait for the right time when he would meet the Doctor again in Cardiff.

Maybe it was too early to put together a list of all that had been lost. The fate of many people was still unclear. Those who'd been able to escape had been listed on the survivor's list. Police and emergency services had pulled out four survivors out of the ruins, having them detected with thermal imaging detectors. Only four... The scattered bodies of dead humans throughout the building which Jack had encountered so far were few in number. Every captured employee had been brought to the conversion units. And all the converted people were lost, lost forever in time and space.

Determined, Jack made his way forward through the rubble, climbing and stumbling over chunks of collapsed ceilings, looking via scanner for scattered alien technology, and, although his hopes were few, for survivors, also via scanner.

Most of the building was undamaged, but the floors where the conversion units had been installed were destroyed, collapsed after an explosion, probably a few of the conversion units.

His scanner suddenly showed life readings, but not completely human. Full of dread, he struggled his way through until he stopped abruptly. What he saw before him put even his hardened nerves – and his stomach – to the test. Two undamaged conversion units stood before him, cut off from any energy supply, and on them two people were strapped down. The blades of the unit still poised over them, and one of them deeply embedded in the guts of one of the victims, having stopped where they were as they'd been cut off from power abruptly. One of them was a woman, the conversion process finished halfway, her body cut open, more dead than alive, her glassy eyes staring uncomprehending at nothing. The other person was one bloody mess, left in the process of preparing him or she (Jack couldn't even recognise any more if it was a man or a woman) for the Cyberman parts which just had to be put on them and connected with their nerve endings.

He drew his weapon and aimed, having to wait for his sight to clear as tears dripped down his face. “I'm sorry,” he whispered, and pulled the trigger two times, the sound of the shots resounding in the whole corridor, throwing echo upon cruel echo around as if to mock him, reminding him of all the lives that had been lost.

Not being able to stand the sight of the two defiled bodies for one second longer, Jack turned away and activated his scanner again, putting his weapon away for now in the hope of not needing it again today.

To his relief, the other remaining conversion units were empty, and he just wanted to leave this part of the building behind him when he noticed the trail of blood leading away from one of the units. With a sense of foreboding, he followed the track, being surer with every second that this weren't the traces of an escaped Cy berman, but of someone having dragged away a Cyberman straight from the conversion unit. In this moment, his scanner beeped, indicating signs of life again. Fortunately, they were completely human. Was he dealing with some fanatic Torchwood employee who'd survived, and now wanted to drag away one of the Cyberman to experiment on it or whatever crazy plans these people concocted in their sick minds? Or was he only about to confront a disillusioned survivor, who desperately if misguidedly wanted to save a friend?

The signal led him to a portion of the floor which had collapsed. Carefully, Jack made his way down the hole in the floor, mindful of the rubble and sharp bits of metal sticking out of the concrete.

The first thing he saw was the mangled body of a young woman, a steel beam buried through her midsection. Her arms and legs and part of her upper body were covered with Cyberman bits, the cold silver a sharp contrast to her blood smeared, chocolate coloured skin. Part of her head was also already covered with metal, but Jack could still see her beautiful face, her pretty dark eyes staring lifelessly.

He let out a relieved breath. Although he mourned her death, he was glad that it wouldn't fall to him to kill her, even if she was already more Cyberman than human and therefore a threat.

But if the signals of his scanner didn't indicate her, there had to be someone here, probably under the rubble, but alive. Jack looked around and spied a hand sticking out of the debris. Hoping that he wouldn't pull out just an arm without its unfortunate owner, he set to dig.

Breathing heavily, he finally pulled forth a young man. The front of his dust covered well-cut suit was full of blood, likely from the dead woman, and he had a gash on his forehead which already had stopped bleeding, but otherwise he seemed miraculously unhurt. Mindful of a possible head injury, Jack pulled the young man into his arms, tapping his cheek slightly to rouse him. Somehow, Jack got the feeling that he knew this man, but he couldn't imagine when and where he could have met him. He rarely left Cardiff, and if he did, having to come to Torchwood London, he never embarked with Yvonne's people on principle. So where...

And then, just as the young man stirred, moaning softly, Jack knew, the image before his eyes overlapping suddenly with the images of a teenager he'd saved eight years ago, and whose virginity he had taken.  “ Oh my god,“ he whispered shell-shocked. 

“Jack?” the young man asked weakly, his voice full of wonder and disbelieve, and Jack looked down at him, the last of his doubts leaving him at looking into the thrusting, but still defiant pretty blue eyes. Swallowing heavily, Jack smiled softly at him, tenderly brushing away a few strands of dark hair from the pale, dust smeared forehead.

“Captain Jack Harkness, hi,” he grinned at his charge affectionately, but his voice sounded thick, disbelieve, happiness and relief choking him.

The younger man relaxed in his arms for just a moment, and returned the smile. “Jones,” he replied shakily. “Ianto Jones.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Jones, Ianto Jones.”

For a moment, they just grinned at each other, alone in this surreal little bubble of their own, far away from all the horrors around them, and just being happy to having found each other again.

But then, just as Jack was carefully helping Ianto to sit up, the young man froze, the last remains of giddy happiness suddenly slipping from his face as he became aware again of their surroundings.

“Where's Lisa!?” he asked, his voice taking on a frantic note.

Jack didn't know who Lisa was, but he could make a pretty good guess, his gaze flitting to the half converted young woman.

Ianto had noticed his gaze, and before Jack could stop him, he turned his head. He at once paled considerably more under the layer of dust and blood covering his face, and he tried to free himself from Jack's embrace. “Lisa!” he whispered, a lump in his throat constricting his voice.

“Lisa!” he cried again, and tried to free himself once more, but even though he could muster up a whole lot of force this time, Jack held on tight. 

“Shh,” he whispered, trying to soothe the grieving young man, and rocked him in his arms, while Ianto continued to fight him in his desperate attempt to get to his girlfriend. “I'm so sorry, Ianto.”

“No,” Ianto sobbed in disbelief. “No, no, no, please no. I...”

“You couldn't have saved her,” Jack tried to argue with him, still holding on tight, softly stroking Ianto's hair while he felt Ianto's tears seeping through his shirt where the young man had pressed his face against Jack's shoulder. 

“Yes, I could've,” Ianto argued back, his breath hitching as he cried angry, hopeless tears. “The transformation wasn't complete, I could have...”

“Nothing could have reversed the process once it's started!” Jack barked sharply, shoving Ianto a few inches away from him to look him in the eye. He firmly, but carefully put his hands on either side of Ianto's face, looking at him beseechingly. “Not even the Doctor could have saved her. She would have just been a threat to us all if you'd brought here out of this building.” 

“But...” The anger in Ianto suddenly deflated like a flabby balloon, tears once more gathering in his eyes as he realised that everything was lost. “I love her.”

Impulsively pulling Ianto close once more, Jack's heart broke at hearing the small, utterly crushed tone of voice, and although he should have been furious with Ianto for naively, stupidly trying to smuggle a live Cyberman out of Torchwood to try to find an impossible cure, Jack couldn't. Not when Ianto did it out of love. People did stupid things out of love, always had, always would, but despite everything, Jack had to grudgingly admit that he was impressed with Ianto's devotion, prepared to do everything to save the one you love although he, as a Torchwood employee, should have known better. And ultimately, nothing had happened anyway, the Cyberman was dead, it was of no use to hold fast to the what-ifs. Nobody but him and Ianto would ever know what had happened here today. Instead of reprimanding Ianto like a naughty child, he should take care of him, guiding him like he did during this one night all these years ago.

With a plan forming in his mind, Jack kissed Ianto on the temple, and for this moment only concentrated on giving comfort to this young man who'd just lost the woman he loved.

Gradually, Ianto's desperate sobs quietened down to a soft hiccup until he finally just lay in Jack's arms quietly. None of them talked for a while, Ianto taking deep breaths instead to get himself under control.

“I wished for you to come back,” he suddenly whispered in a voice hoarse from crying.

Startled, Jack frowned and softly shook his head. “I don't understand...”

“Back then, in the diner,” Ianto explained. “When I blew out the candle, I wished that I would meet you again one day.” He sighed heavily and a little shakily. “I knew it was only for one night, so I... after, I wasn't prepared to let go of you just yet.” A bitter laugh burst forth from him. “I just didn't imagine it would be under these circumstances... I had to think about you when all this happened. Maybe instinctively I thought you would come again and save me once more.” He knew he was starting to ramble, but he didn't care.

“You didn't know what I looked like,” Jack realised, inwardly still amazed that Ianto had made such a wish back then. But on the other hand... It was difficult to ever forget Jack Harkness...

“No. I would never have thought that my Jack was Captain Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood Three. Everybody here knows your name, of course, and that you and Miss Hartman aren't... weren't,” he corrected himself heavy-hearted, “on the best speaking terms, but other than that...”

Jack smiled reassuringly at him, albeit a bit gloomy, too. “I also wish the circumstances would have been better.” He furrowed his brow. “And that I really could have saved you again, you and Lisa both,” he added soberly.

Ianto watched him suddenly attentively, uncertainty and hope in his eyes. “What happens now?” he asked, almost afraid to ask, and involuntarily, his gaze darted briefly to Lisa's corpse, fresh pain bleeding back into his eyes. On the one hand, he just wanted to forget the last twenty-four hours, forget all the pain, but on the other hand, he knew that he could never allow himself to forget any of it. He just knew he wouldn't accept Torchwood's standard protocol offer of Retconning him. He didn't want to forget even one minute with Lisa, and Torchwood as well as the horrible things of the last hours were a part of that. He didn't want to start a new, seemingly carefree life, but deep inside him always feeling this hollow emptiness, feeling as if something, or someone was missing. Even Retcon couldn't take his feelings from him, so he would always be left wondering.

Jack, interpreting Ianto's forlorn look correctly, tried to reassure him, “Nothing you don't want. I won't allow them to Retcon you, if you don't want that, and the same's true for talking to a psychologist. You're under my protection, do you understand?”

Ianto nodded slowly, bit by bit coming around to not only everything that had happened, but that Jack was back in his live to save him again, and more importantly, taking care of him. “Thank you.”

Jack smiled sadly in compassion, kissing Ianto's brow gently.

“Come on,” he murmured, carefully helping the young man to his feet, all the while keeping his arms securely around him. “Let me take you home.”

Ianto looked up at him, studying him intensely, and then he nodded in determination. “Yes. Take me home.”

**End – And we all live Happily Ever After in Blessed Ignorance of Children of Earth**

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you liked the story. I'd love some feedback.


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